Hey guys, just wondering if there are any harvard admits who would share with us what made you different from everyone else? Thanks.
If you go to the result thread and look at what each person has posted, each poster tells you what they think made the difference for them. Here, let me help you. Go to: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1752941-harvard-university-class-of-2019-rd-results.html#latest
Read Post #1 – at the bottom there is a section called reflection
Now, go through the rest of the thread and read each reflection.
Thanks!
People who are accepted, people who are declined, alumni volunteers – no one can really tell you other than guesses and suppositions.
True but people who are accepted are special in some way or else they wouldn’t be accepted in the first place
One of my friends was a low income first generation college student with decent scores who got in through Questbridge. She did have some fantastic essays though.
@AnnieBot: Unlike other colleges, Harvard does not participate in Questbridge, so you must be confusing your friend with another college: http://www.questbridge.org/partner-colleges/overview-listing
I’m not saying admits aren’t great. I’m saying admits have no idea exactly what about their profile got them in over the equally great kid who was rejected. Indeed, many admits will have been rejected/waitlisted at equally impressive sister colleges. What does that tell you?
There is little predictive ability that can be had polling admitted students. Because you could poll an equal no. of rejected or WL students and find mostly the same thing.
Your question is another iteration of the oft-seen “What’s the formula” post. This is un-answerable unless you’re in the committee room.
@gibby My bad. She was a questbridge finalist, but I did not know that Harvard didn’t participate in Questbridge.
@selectivedreamer I’m not sure I agree with some of the above that admits have no idea what got them in. Though of course no one can be sure, I think in some cases applicants can be reasonably certain. My son got in everywhere—Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford—and though he doesn’t want specific details of his stats posted, I can tell you that he was very likely admitted because of his extremely well developed extracurricular activity, for which he has received national and international recognition. He took the SAT and ACT only once, in his junior year. His SAT score was very good, but plenty of students score higher; his ACT score was great but not perfect; his SAT subject test scores were perfect; his AP scores, from many AP courses, were all 5’s and 4’s, and his grades were perfect—and after taking the most demanding curriculum offered by his school. His essays and applications were very strong (as, I’m guessing, his recommendations were), and each application was tailored to each particular school, reflecting in-depth knowledge of the school and conveyed in a very unique way that tied into his extracurricular activity. Everyone who knew him predicted he would get in everywhere, and for exactly the reason I’ve cited. His guidance counselor is convinced that that’s what did it, though I strongly doubt the counselor received any feedback from the schools themselves, since my son attends a large public high school. For what it’s worth, my son is not a URM, not the first in his family to attend college, not from an underrepresented state, and not an athlete. My advice is to find your passion—the earlier, the better—and pursue it. Try to get recognized for it in some way, nationally and internationally. Take the most demanding courses you can at your school, get all A’s or close to it, take the SAT and/or ACT no more than twice and score well, and spend a lot of time on your applications. Each one should reflect in-depth, personal knowledge of the school and why you’d be a good fit there. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of luck involved, not just with the colleges themselves, but with whatever your passion turns out to be—not to mention with tests, grades, teachers, counselors, etc. It’s like a big four-year minefield, and the only way to deal with it is to pursue what interests you, work hard, and hope for the best. You may or may not be successful—things could very easily have worked out differently for my son. He was extremely lucky all around, but he also worked as hard as possible, consistently, for four years (as many other top students do). He didn’t go into this (nor did we, as his parents) with the goal of getting into an Ivy League or comparable school—he just loved what he was doing and did it. Along the way, he or we saw opportunities, and he sought them out. But Harvard (or Yale, or Princeton, or Stanford—plug in any top school) was never the reason. He would have been fine going anywhere (or nowhere), as long as he could continue his passion.
Wow thanks so much thats one of the most helpful posts I’ve read in a long time. If you dont mind me asking, how did your son manage so many hard classes and still manage to pursue his passions and receive national recognition for his accomplishments?
Basically by working all the time—it was very hard. Also, he planned and used his time well and tried to choose his courses wisely—some were easier time-wise than others, even though they were the most demanding ones available. (Others, however, ended up being huge time sinks or otherwise less than optimal—this didn’t always work out.) The recognition for his accomplishments was part effort (doing the work, taking advantage of opportunities that presented themselves or that he or we found, applying for relevant competitions, etc.) and part luck. Again, you never know what will happen—you can’t control everything, so luck is definitely a factor. He didn’t win every competition he applied for, either, or get into every program he applied to—he was fortunate with some and less fortunate with others. That’s why you just have to focus on doing what you love and doing your best—forget about the colleges until you actually apply.
What I meant by the last part was forget about pleasing the colleges until you actually apply—do what you enjoy doing for yourself, not for them. You should certainly think about schools and what kinds of places you might want to go (and why) before you apply—and, if at all possible, visit them before actually applying. Some of them may drop off your list, and others may end up top choices. The main point is not to have getting into X, Y, or Z college as your goal—your goal should be to find what you love to do and do it. If you haven’t found it yet—as most high school students haven’t—don’t worry. You have your whole life ahead of you, and college will just be four years. It’s ridiculous that students today have to achieve so much at such an early age to have a shot at many of these top schools, but that’s unfortunately the way it is now, and it’s likely to get worse. If you focus on doing that, you run the risk of ending up stressed, miserable, and disappointed. If you focus on yourself and your own interests, at whatever rate they happen to develop, you’ll be happy no matter where you go.
Very true thanks again
I have no idea. They did not tell me and I did not ask. I don’t think that being a moderator here is what pushed my application over the edge. 
My passions definitely came across in my essays and were affirmed by multiple recs/interview/etc. I can’t think of any other reason as to how I got in lol.
Any kid (except for a big hook) does not know, and their answers will drip of survivorship bias. Just as when a 100 year old is asked the secret of their longevity. 10 people give 10 different answers, and none of them mean anything.